The return is 17-year-old shortstop prospect Wilfri De La Cruz.
The Orioles struck for a second middle-of-the-night trade after the Ramón Urías to the Astros deal, reportedly sending right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge to the Cubs, according to MLB.com’s Jake Rill.
Updated: In return for Kittredge, the Orioles are reportedly receiving 17-year-old shortstop prospect Wilfri De La Cruz. The Cubs signed De La Cruz out of the Dominican for a $2.3 million bonus earlier this year. In his first 27 pro games, he’s slashing .262/.442/.417 with more walks (26) than strikeouts (24) in the Dominican Summer League, with no home runs yet. Baseball America ranks De La Cruz the Cubs’ #20 prospect and MLB Pipeline rates him 17th.
De La Cruz’s Pipeline profile describes his “disciplined approach” at the plate and ability to make line-drive contact, along with “promising bat speed and loft” that could lead to more power in the future. He’s also expected to stick at shortstop due to his “twitchy athleticism, smooth actions, soft hands and solid arm strength.”
Kittredge is the fourth veteran reliever the O’s have dealt this month, after sending Bryan Baker to the Rays on July 10, Gregory Soto to the Mets on July 25, and Seranthony Domínguez to the Blue Jays between games of a doubleheader two days ago.
Kittredge finishes his four-month Orioles career with a 3.56 ERA in 30 games. With a 112 ERA+, the 35-year-old wasn’t quite as effective as the previous two seasons. He posted a 148 ERA+ for the Cardinals last year and 140 for the Rays in 2023.
The O’s signed Kittredge to a $9 million deal this season, envisioning the former All-Star as a setup man for closer Félix Bautista, but things went awry immediately when Kittredge got hurt in spring training and started the year on the IL with left knee debridement. By the time Kittredge made his Orioles debut on May 21, the club’s season was already hopelessly out of control. Kittredge has generally been decent but unspectacular. The Orioles held a $9 million option for 2026 for Kittredge, but clearly decided he wasn’t in the team’s plans for next year.
With the latest veteran departure from the bullpen and Bautista on the IL, the Orioles’ current bullpen is almost entirely made up of rookies and/or pitchers with minimal big league experience, including Corbin Martin, Grant Wolfram, Kade Strowd, Elvin Rodríguez, and the yet-to-debut Houston Roth. The only familiar faces among the group are Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano, the latter of whom is having a lousy year.
Just like Domínguez, who pitched two games against the Orioles Tuesday and Wednesday, Kittredge’s first appearance for his new team may well come against the Birds. The O’s begin a three-game series at Wrigley Field tomorrow.